Aude Sapere
by FallenStar2
Summary: As Buffy heads to Hogwarts, four men head to the Ministry to uncover and discover the mysteries inside...
1. Four Men Went Off Into the Sunset

Title: **Aude**** Sapere**

Summary: As Buffy and the others pan out at Hogwarts, four men stay behind at the Ministry  to discover new meanings and uncover a secret that not even the Minister of Magic knows  exists. Addendum to "Harry Potter and the Slayer's Crusade".

Title Translation: Latin for 'dare to know'... which is basically why HPatSC is all about.

Author's Note: I wrote this because three of four characters have been left in the dark.  Giles, Wesley and Xander have all been doing important work and research for the Ministry.  My beta Grace actually requested more information about their "mission", so here it is.  Imagine it as an appendix to a book. I don't know how long it'll be.. it'll be as long as  the imagination takes me. And since my first emphasis is still on the original story, this  should only be updated when I have the time to write it and ship it to ms. beta upstairs.

Rating: I'll keep it at PG-13. Some adult language, etc.

Disclaimer: I don't own Joss Whedon or J.K. Rowling. I just borrow their characters for my  own maniacal pleasure and return them for good use the next day. This story is completely  AU and if any of these events have occurred in cannon or in any other story, forgive me  father, for I have sinned. Just let me know, okay?

If you do review, be critical. There's nothing I love more than people writing how much  they love my writing without telling me I've done something wrong.

- - - - -

**Chapter 1**

**Four Men Went Off Into the Sunset...**

- - - - -

"Well, here we are."

Xander put down the laser scalpel he'd been using to mold a plaster piece and glared at  Andrew, who stood next to the door, arms and legs both crossed, looking bored.

"You're late."

"I didn't expect that you'd be waiting for me," Andrew complained, shaking his head. "If  you had superpowers on the other hand, you could--"

"He doesn't, but I do," Wesley said, sweeping in from behind Andrew, sending the younger  man a scathing look. "If Xander says to show promptly at noon, you show up at noon. And not  in the middle of the afternoon."

Andrew looked as though he were about to mumble some ill-attempted excuse but instead  glared over their shoulders.

Xander placed the mask on top of his working table and brushed the dust on his hands onto  his jeans. "Wesley, would you care to accompany me into the next... er... office? Andrew,  stay here and don't touch anything."

Andrew glared at them both as Xander lead Wesley down a hall, shaking his head in  irritation. "I just wish that he'd show either one of us a hint more of respect," Wesley  finally said as Xander paused at a doorway and bent down to unlock it. 

"I have a feeling that his respect for us will be earned when we start dealing in illegal  pocket protectors and Nintendo cartridges," Xander sighed as he pushed the door open and  flicked the light on.

Wesley walked inside and looked around. "Very impressive."

"I figured that since the four of us share that little flat, we could do ourselves a favor  and use my office to unwind," Xander said, gesturing at the enchanted window, which showed  a beautiful sunset on the horizon. "I get two of these a day at no extra charge."

Wesley chuckled and glanced at the squishy sofas and tables that Xander had placed around  the room. "Where did you get all of this?"

"Most of it was in the 'take not, want not' box," Xander replied, walking over to the full  bar on the opposite wall. "And they're installing a fireplace in here tomorrow so I can  keep up with full Hogwarts correspondence."

"You're good," Wesley said under his breath when Xander handed him a glass. "What is it?"

"Firewhiskey," Xander said, cheerfully pouring what remained of a bottle into a third  glass. "I think Giles will get here as soon as he's done doing... whatever it is he's  doing."

"He went to see Buffy today," Wesley replied, risking a sip of the scarlett liquid. The  moment he swallowed, it burned his throat but returned a cool, calm sensation. "That  actually hit the spot."

"I need to get a few more bottles," Xander replied, glancing mournfully at the few  remaining bottles. "A trip into Diagon Alley should cure that."

"You might need a wand for that," Wesley scoffed just as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in!" Xander called out as Giles opened the door, looking moody and exhausted. "Giles!  Come on it, have a seat, your liquid is at the bar!"

Giles have a hasty smile and set down his briefcase before taking the glass and sniffing  it. "It smells dreadful."

Wesley took another long sip and grinned. "But it tastes something otherworldly."

"It probably is," Xander said suddenly, holding the glass at a length and staring at the  little firewhiskey that remained inside. "Scary."

"What is new with our friends at that lovely institution?" Wesley asked Giles, moving over  to make him a spot. 

"Buffy is still unable to determine who the Hogwarts Slayer is," Giles said, finally taking  a sip of his beverage and relaxing somewhat. "Seeing Tara alive again is a bit of a shock,  I must say..."

"It would be a shock for anyone to realize she was still alive," Xander said quietly. "I  wonder how Wil is holding up. Maybe I'll talk to her tonight..."

"You'll have to use a Muggle phone though," Wesley said. "Buffy has one in her suite, I  imagine."

"Right," Xander nodded. 

"Dawn has apparently made first contact with a boy, too," Giles said with a sigh. "She's  fallen quickly and fallen hard."

"The Dawn has a boyfriend?" Xander asked in shock. "That's fantastic!"

"Don't break out the parenting books just yet," Giles advised him as he set his drink  aside. "I'm not sure how long it will last. The boy is pureblood... and Dawn is... you  know... a Muggle."

"Does he know?" Wesley asked curiously.

"He does now... Dawn told him the truth about everything, or so it would seem."

"And what exactly did you tell Buffy of our operations here?" Wesley asked, his voice  dropping cautiously.

"I told her we're holding out," Giles said with a sigh. "But it'd be better if she knew  what was going on."

"I can't believe the Ministry started their own Initiative," Xander said in a bitter voice.  "I'm finding it so hard to believe that Oz is involved."

"She'll know soon enough," Giles replied, standing up and walking over to the enchanted  window. "Cordelia is on her way... she's awoken from her coma. And apparently Spike and  Angel are also in the country."

"This is good," Xander said, his voice low and serious. "Because we are going to need all  the help we can get."

"We are," Wesley agreed as he, too, rose and stood next to Giles. Xander drained the rest  of his firewhiskey. 

"Until then, what do we do?"

"Whatever we can do," Giles said, smiling serenly as the window faded into darkness. "It's  all we can do for now, I'm afraid."

- - - - -

So that's the rhythm of the new story... set up like an all-boys club with visits from  Cordy, Faith, etc. Other chapters will be longer... this is just an introduction!


	2. The One with the Scalpel

Let's see... I'm still continuing this. So hopefully it'll be around 4/5 chapters or so. I  just wanted to reintroduce you to an old character/friend. 

Harry Potter and the Slayers Crusade may be over... but what REALLY happened behind the  scenes?

Dare to know... Aude Sapere.

- - - - -

**Chapter 2**

**The One with the Scalpel**

- - - - -

It was yet another early morning for Xander as he made his way from the flat he shared with  his three companions to the Ministry. He was almost too tired to remember the keypad  combination for the phone booth, finally realizing he was dozing against the broken down  telephone while London bustled around him.

He sank into his desk chair warily, clutching a cup of good, old-fashioned American coffee.  As soon as he reached over for his mug to take a first sip, the door flew open and Andrew  came inside. "Xander... they've been looking everywhere for you!"

"What?" Xander retorted, abandoning his cup and racing through the corridors until Xander  was face to face with two Aurors. "Oh... what's this? The inquisition squad?"

"You were sent an owl at approximately twenty five minutes past seven this morning," one of  them replied, beckoning Xander to follow. "You follow. The boy stays."

Andrew looked like he half wanted to protest, but Xander shushed him and followed the two  Aurors back into the elevators. 

"I was here past midnight last night," Xander sighed as the gates closed and the elevator  began to descend. "And you wanted me here by seven thirty this morning. What gives?"

"What you are about to see is top-secret government and Ministry material," one of the  Aurors droned as Xander yawned widely next to him.

"Tell me something I haven't heard before."

"You would be wise to close your mouth and listen to him," the other Auror said in an  irritated tone. "We didn't request to be up this early to show you what they have told us  to show you either."

Xander swallowed his yawn and looked at his shoes. No matter how many times he tried to  convince himself he belonged there, they always made him feel ten inches tall.

They reached their destination and from outside the gates slid open to reveal an elderly  witch, who also looked slightly annoyed. "We've been expecting you the past quarter hour,"  she growled as the Aurors lead Xander by.

Xander was really beginning to get annoyed as they followed more staircases and corridors,  finally reaching a secondary elevator.

"If you're taking me to hell, I'm not dead yet," Xander complained as the gates closed on  them again. But this time, it was the elderly witch accompanying him. The two Aurors stated  they would remain at the gates until Xander returned.

The elevator ride seemed to take forever. While inside, Xander looked at everything he  could besides looking at the witch, who was hunched over and held a knarled cane in one  hand. 

Finally, the elevator slowed with a shudder. Xander sighed slightly as they were plunged  into total darkness.

Then a cool female voice sounded around them. "Identification and purpose."

The witch next to him groaned out loud. "Fiona Sable. Initiative zero one." Her voice was  slightly twanged with boredom.

"Thank you and have a pleasant day."

The lights had suddenly turned from gold to a deep turquoise blue as the grate slid open  and Xander was yanked out by the powerful hands of that little elderly witch.

But once he stepped out, he suddenly wished he could turn around and go back inside.

A wide expanse was set before him. Complete with a large pit and three levels above of a  circular shape containing offices and sleeping quarters, it looked like the same Initiative  that Xander had grown fond of.

"When we were told of the Slayer's coming, we requested all information," the witch said,  tugging Xander along. "This just happened to be in her files."

"So you requested a copy?" Xander asked in amazement as the witch lead him toward a large  barracks area, where a crowd of people wearing long white doctors coats were lingering.  "Those files didn't happen to mention why this place closed down, right?"

"They did," a crisp female voice said from inside the group. A figure stepped forward,  beaming at the little witch. "Thank you, grandmother. I'll take it from here."

The witch let go of Xander's arm and disappeared into the darkness.

"What is going on here?" Xander asked in confusion.

"I'm Healer Tressa Sable. These are my counterparts. I believe you remember Daniel  Osbourne. He is the one that requested you have access to these facilities."

Words completely failed Xander at the very time he needed to get off a sarcastic retort.

"We have granted you access in the hopes that you will tell us what did happen to your...  American Initiative. We have a different purpose here. Instead of maiming and destroying  life, we seek to study, observe and preserve it."

"A...A sanctuary?" Xander asked weakly.

"Precisely," Healer Sable replied, stepping forward. "If you'd like to follow me, I'll give  you the grand tour." As she stepped out into the light, Xander noticed that she was quite  different in appearances compared to her tiny grandmother. She was quite pretty.

But enough was enough.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what the hell all of this is," he said  firmly.

"I thought you might demand that," the Healer said, her voice noticeably cooler. "Daniel?"

Oz stepped out into the light, also donned in the long while cloak of the healer.

Xander's eyes widened even more. "What is this?"

"It's just what it looks like."

"They recruited you?"

"Yes."

"To perform tests on other werewolves?"

"In part."

"Why am I here?"

"To see."

"See what?" Xander felt his patience ebbing away.

"To see how it's done right." Healer Sable was also getting annoyed as she turned toward  Oz. "Perhaps you'd like to give him the tour."

"You want?"

"Take me."

Xander followed Oz as he showed him the entire complex. The weaponry was quite different  from what the original Initiative had used. Instead of a barracks full of high powered and  sophisticated guns and grenades, there were a collection of orbs and crystals dangling from  the ceiling. The main containment area was anything but the place of damnation it had been  for all of the hostile creatures from Sunnydale.

It was shocking to see the change.

The entire area was a three-story large zoo exhibit, in Xander's opinion. There were trees  and flowers and odd music. There were creatures in the trees that welcomed them joyfully.  Xander thought sarcastically of all the creatures who couldn't wait to kill their captors.  Oz seemed to be thinking around the same lines.

"It isn't the same place. Not anymore."

"You say that now," Xander replied weakly. "Do you even remember what that Initiative did  to you?"

"I do," Oz said crisply as they took an escalator back down toward the command center. "But  you have to understand... they study these creatures for the purpose of knowing why they  are part of a magical world."

"You'll study them, sure," Xander said sarcastically as they rejoined the groups of  healers. "But is that before or after they try to eat you?"

"You doubt too much, Xander," Oz said, lifting a small briefcase from a pile of identical  ones underneath a table. "That's your problem."

"I almost died in that last facility... excuse me if I have the jeeves for this one."

Oz turned toward the Healer in charge, who just shook her head in exasperation. "Xander  Harris, please come with us. We'll return you to your office."

"Not until you tell me why I'm down here," Xander replied stubbornly.

The Healer blinked before turning back to Oz. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Xander was really agitated now.

"We need your help," Oz said simply. "We want this to be the right way. We don't need a  Sunnydale repeat."

"Good," Xander said, "because I'm really not looking forward to facing demons again."

"Will you help us?"

Before Xander could open his mouth to reply, something hard tapped him on the head. As he  lost consciousness, he saw the Healer tuck her wand back inside her cloaks.

He couldn't answer her. He couldn't even glare at her.

All he could do was beg for sleep to come.

- - - - -

To be continued...


	3. He Said, She Said

Here we are again. You've seen what Xander has been up to. You've met back up with Oz. And now we're taking the road back into Giles' more serious world. It's full of torments only a man with a midlife crisis (which is pretty good, since he's ripe for it) may take in a place where he's reminded of "Ripper". And it's in the first person. 

I only have two more chapters of this planned. As I mentioned in another ficlet, I am fully aware and knowledgable that the sequels I have been planning for so long are now underway. Literally. "Epiphany" is out and about. And the titleless sequel to the crossover this story sends from is only a week away. I just need to find a bleeding title.

So stay tuned... at the end of this rather short chapter is a bit and piece from the new sequel. 

No questions to answer today... probably because my beta was so involved reading everything else I've thrown at her to care very much!

- - - - -

**Chapter 3**

**He Said, She Said**

- - - - -

The heavy clock in the crowded office chimed 5 pm, but no one seemed to notice as a chill had spread throughout the office. I glanced around, noting the looks of fear in the eyes of my newer coworkers.

I felt that same fear myself.

They had just been informed of the dead Slayer. And every last one of them realized that no matter how brilliant this mixed international army was, they were bound to stumble.

"I knew that girl from the very beginning," I said softly to any witch or wizard that would ask me how I was coping with the situation. "I will be fine."

It made it seem more real this way.

It reminded me of why I was here, and where I had to go to get past what had happened last year, when so many more good Slayers had died.

They weren't a dream team of invulnerable strength. They were just girls. Girls with superpowers. Surely, wizards and witches would understand, because that is what they were; men and women with superpowers. 

But it wasn't so.

After the tenth summon to a separate office, I decided not to return to my own cubicle and decided to check on Xander. He wasn't in his office. With a sigh, I retreated to the coffee room, eager to break out of the dark cloud which had set right over the Ministry and was refusing to budge.

Wesley was inside, stirring tea, a look of sheer disappointment written across his face.

"You too?" I asked.

He nodded. "Doesn't seem possible, does it?"

"It makes me realize that this is just like last year," I said softly. "Only it isn't. That's just part of the illusion. This is nothing like last year. This is just facing down one evil person and his evil army. We've done this before. We've beaten worse. We've faced worse. We've been defeated by worse."

"And yet something like this happens that always makes it seem so... surreal."

"Exactly," I grumbled, setting down a cup and adding hot water. "But why? Why is this so real?"

A completely different voice, a somewhat familiar female's, spoke up from the entrance. "And maybe it's because sometimes, things happen, and you just have to deal."

"Hello, Cordelia."

"Hey, Giles, Wesley."

Wesley nodded toward her, his hands wrapping around the tea as the three took a seat at one of the tables near the corner. 

"Things were so much simpler in the old days," I commented.

"Things were better when Angelus was around and I was infested with demon offspring," Cordelia agreed with a nod.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked, coming to my senses. "Doesn't Buffy--"

"She's making a speech in the morning," Cordelia said after a brief pause, her voice trembling slightly. "I think you should go... because... sh-she is taking the fight to them. She's had enough. A boy at the school was attacked. And then Amanda was killed. And now... I don't know what's going to happen. All I know is that there are kids at that school freaking out. And I know what it feels like to be them. I haven't felt that way in so long, I'd almost forgotten."

"It'd be wise to forget," Wesley muttered, removing his glasses and staring at the dregs remaining in the scalding tea he'd just drunk. "And yet prudent to remember."

"There's Wes, always saying the contradictions," Cordelia replied, yawning. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm not sure..."

"You can, and you will, Cordelia. You are just as much a part of this as I am, or as Wesley here. You can't allow just one death to affect you."

"You're right," she said, her vision becoming even more glazed over. "But what if enough is enough? What are we? Just mercenaries bounding out, risking life over stake? Maybe this time, the price is too high."

"You're also forgetting our original mission," Wesley piped up. "We're not here to destroy evil. We came here to find a Slayer. And in a situation like this, one is bound to turn up."

Cordelia sighed, dropping her head onto her arms. "Or die trying."

I just shook my head. "So what are we going to do about it?"

"Buffy asked that we all go tonight. She wants us there when she.. when she tells them what she is going to do. I think that... that's a good idea. Because... I don't know what's going to happen next. We may all die and our legacy will be lost because we were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"If it comes down to that," Wesley pointed out.

"I can't do this anymore," she finally said, standing up. "I'm just going back to that school and praying that all of this is gone tomorrow. I want to go home."

Wesley and I exchanged a dark glance as she left.

Cordelia was one of the most positive fighters in her youth. Because of her added demon strength, it made her a formidable opponent.

But if she had given up the fight out of principle, what hope was there for the rest of us?

- - - - -

Chapter 4 -- Giles & Xander deal with the aftermath of Buffy's speech (ala Chapter 27) while Andrew gets down and dirty with the technical side of things.

- - - - -

_Sneak peek at the aformentioned and yet untitled sequel to "Harry Potter and the Slayer's  Crusade"... from "Badda Bing Badda Bang". (edited to include new material)_

It's been two years and three months since their last meeting. Now Xander is getting married to a Hogwarts witch, and the Wizards crew is on their way to the U.S.A. But not all is well in wonderland, for Dawn returned from England alone and in a trance, her memory obliterated. Willow is in turmoil about which girl she really loves, and Buffy is having a hell of a time choosing  the vampire who really owns her heart. Harry and his friends have finished Hogwarts and the  Dark Lord has fallen at last.

Even heroes fall in this new tale, with a chilling villain no one will suspect, a wedding  written in the stars, and love that will last potentially forever, if they can survive the  upcoming battle. 

Join the Slayer gang one last time as they prepare for Xander's wedding, the death of a close colleague and their discovery that Dawn's final year at Hogwarts was not what it seemed. Join the Wizards one last time as they visit the United States for the first time to salute one of their own. And join the Ministry and Order one last time as a chilling new evil is uncovered that no one had ever expected.

_*** Author's Note: So this is what it'll look like. The first few chapters are just about  written. Being sent to beta this week. Hopefully will be posted after the Oscar's next  Sunday night. Or something like that. I just need to find a title, so any suggestions? I'll  even offer an award... like an extra special walk-on role thing in one of the chapters! Or  something equally dazzling. I just can't figure out a title! Argh! ***_


End file.
